4 Essentials of Spinal Care: #3 Hip Mobility

In our last post we went over the 4 essentials of spinal care.

1. Head and Neck Balance

2. Spinal Stability

3. Hip Mobility

4. Increase Activity

In this post we will dive into the details of #3 Hip Mobility.

Why is hip mobility important?

Movement generation revolves around the hips. Many athletes understand this concept. When you lose mobility of the hips; movement is altered in other parts of the body. For example when bending over the lower back should not be the primary fulcrum. However when your hips are tight compensation occurs and the low back become the fulcrum. This adds unnecessary stress to the lower back leading to dysfunction and pain.

How do we lose hip mobility?

SITTING! In today's world we sitting for extended periods of time. This chronic sitting actually shortens the hips flexors and causes tight hips.

3 Simple Solutions to Increase Hip Mobility:

1. Stand up

Whether we are engulfed in our work, entranced by a show or mindlessly scrolling on our phone the concept of time can get lost. It is important to set a reminder or a timer to get up and get moving every 20-30 minutes. Extended periods of uninterrupted sitting shortens the hip flexors and they become tight. If you read our previous post you might start to notice a common theme here.

2. Hip Hinge

The hip hinge might be the easiest and most powerful movement to incorporate for spinal health. When bending over keep you back straight and move your hips back while bending your knees. Later I will be doing a full post on how to hip hinge.

3. Stretch

There are many ways to stretch your hips most ways are affective. If it causes pain find a way that works for you. My favorite is the cave man squat however it can go my many names. Start by going slowly as low as you can and hold it for 10-30 seconds. As you progress stay in this position longer.

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.